San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick scrambles from the Chicago Bears during the second half of an NFL football game in San Francisco, Monday, Nov. 19, 2012. / Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP

by Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY Sports

by Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY Sports

After picking apart the aging-but-revived Chicago Bears defense on Monday night, the legend of Colin Kaepernick as the Great 49ers Quarterback Hope can grow significantly on Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Kaepernick is expected to start Sunday's game against the Saints, while Alex Smith, trying to rebound from a concussion, still wasn't medically cleared for contact as the team prepared to fly to New Orleans on Friday afternoon.

Now all Kaepernick needs to do is outgun a desperate Drew Brees. Here kid, take the football and go.

That's a tall task for the apparently newly-graduated San Francisco 49ers quarterback, given the rhythm that is now flowing in the Big Easy. The New Orleans Saints recently have found their inner Sean Payton spirit, and at .500 for the first time this season, believe that they can pull off the only thing that can get them into the playoffs -- one long winning streak.

Brees leads the NFL with 28 TD passes and has been on a tear lately, with an average passer rating of 125.5 during a three-game winning streak.
Is Kaepernick up for a shootout?
It helps that the second-year pro is supported by one of the best defenses in the world, a physical unit that ranks second for yards allowed and yields an NFL-low 13.4 points per game. Maybe it doesn't have to be a shootout after all.

But chances are that the Saints, who have averaged 32.6 points in their five victories over their past six games, will still generate points on the fast track at home.
The last time Brees faced the 49ers' tough defense, in the NFC divisional playoffs in January, the Saints scored 32 points on a slow, wet field at Candlestick.

Kaepernick also benefits from the NFL's No. 1-ranked rushing attack, propelled by the legs of Frank Gore. Even in this pass-happy era, the ground game and clock-control can still serve as a measure of defense against a prolific offense.

"This is a run-first offense," said Saints coach Joe Vitt, mindful that the 49ers have the second-most rushes in the league (302). "They are running the ball in the NFL better than anybody is right now. Mike Solari, their offensive line coach, is doing a great job."
Vitt went on to praise the 49ers' rushing attack on gap plays, toss-crack perimeter schemes and tactics for pulling their guards.

Oh, and don't forget the wham blocks.
No, it's not all on the quarterback. And if you're going to switch, the 49ers have the right support system around a young quarterback: A running game. A great defense. And awesome special teams, too.

Yet Kaepernick, who passed for 243 yards with two TDs and zero interceptions on Monday night, might still have to make a few plays to pass this next test.
Quarterbacks are always put on the spot.
While the Saints' 32nd-ranked defense looks inviting enough, especially when considering it may be the worst in the league in allowing yards after the catch, playing in the raucous dome adds a degree of difficulty that can best be described as ear-splitting.

If Kaepernick can win in impressive fashion on Sunday, when the 49ers can use a victory in eyeing a possible first-round playoff bye, Smith may never get his job back.
The 49ers have brought Kaepernick along gradually, breaking him in with spot duty in Wildcat packages. He showed last week that he could handle the whole package. Now the pressure increases on the road against a resilient opponent on a mission.

If he doesn't keep the hot hand that coach Jim Harbaugh maintains has earned Kaepernick a chance to start again, the 49ers at least know what they have in the steady-but-not-always spectacular Smith -- assuming that he gets well soon.

Also in play for Week 12:

Who's hot: Von Miller

What sophomore slump? The second-year linebacker, chosen No. 2 overall last year, is clearly living up to his promise as the face of the Broncos defense. With three sacks last week against the Chargers, Miller increased his season count to an AFC-high 13 sacks.

His career total of 24.5 has a distinction, too. Miller is second to Derrick Thomas for most sacks in a player's first 25 games. Thomas had 25 at that point. Miller's team is also red (Ok, orange) hot, heading to Kansas City with a five-game winning streak that is tied with Green Bay for longest in the league.

Pressure's on: Andy Reid

With six consecutive losses, it seems that any given week, from this point on, could mark the end of an era for the Eagles coach, who has been on the hot seat since team owner Jeffrey Lurie declared before the season that 8-8 wouldn't cut it.

The Eagles, hosting the Panthers on Monday night with Nick Foles subbing for a still-recovering Michael Vick, are 3-7.

Will it be Reid's farewell swan song? Guess it's still possible that Philadelphia runs the table and wins the NFC East with a 9-7 record. Yet with the defense the Eagles have played (allowing 28.1 points per game during the losing streak) and woes that include concussions for Vick and LeSean McCoy, it's more than a long shot that the Eagles will turn it around in a hurry.

Will Lurie change his mind and keep Reid? That might be an even bigger shocker.

Rookie revue: Dre Kirkpatrick

After missing the preseason and the first seven games of the regular season with a fractured bone in his left knee, the Bengals' first-round cornerback is progressing well while in catch-up mode.

One of three members from Alabama's national championship defense drafted in the first round, he is prepping for his fourth game on Sunday against the Raiders and Carson Palmer -- the quarterback who will forever be linked to Kirkpatrick.
The 17th overall pick the Bengals used to draft Kirkpatrick came from the Raiders, in last year's trade for Palmer.

Kirkpatrick got his most extensive time last weekend in Kansas City, where he played 26 snaps (43% of the unit's total) as an extra defensive back, up from 15 snaps the week before against the Giants.
Coach Marvin Lewis says the Bengals are starting to see what they envisioned with Kirkpatrick, who added to a cornerback mix that includes Leon Hall, Terence Newman and Pacman Jones.

And the vision includes special teams, too, with Kirkpatrick working as a gunner, a role that he excelled in at 'Bama.

Key matchup: Jared Allen v. J'Marcus Webb

Whoever plays quarterback on Sunday for the Bears against the Vikings -- Jay Cutler is likely to return from a concussion or Jason Campbell tries again -- will need plenty of protection behind an O-line that has allowed 34 sacks, second-most in the league. In the blowout loss at San Francisco on Monday night, 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith collected 5 1/2 sacks of Campbell.

In some cases, Smith lined up against Webb, the left tackle. In other cases, he abused right tackle Gabe Carimi, who has since been benched as part of a mid-week shuffling of the Bears' line. Interestingly, the week before Smith's demolition, the Bears held Houston's J.J. Watt sackless.

Now comes Allen, the relentless Minnesota rusher who led the NFL in sacks last season and had 3 1/2 sacks in the 2011 season finale against Chicago. Allen is nowhere near the pace he was on last year, but with a team-high seven sacks (tied for 13th in the NFL) he hasn't exactly fallen off the map. And it's entirely possible that this is the week that Allen leaps on the chart of NFL sack leaders.

Next man up: Charlie Batch

The Steelers head into Cleveland on Sunday just one snap away from ‚?¶ Brian Hoyer.

But first things first. They are dusting off 37-year-old Charlie Batch to run the offense, a week after Byron Leftwich suffered fractured ribs while replacing Ben Roethlisberger. Batch will need a certain type of game to stay upright -- a run-heavy scheme and a lead that would keep the Browns from teeing off with a pass-rush that would expose Batch to more risk.

During the loss to Baltimore on Sunday, Leftwich was tattered by one shot after another late in the game, when the Steelers were trying to mount a comeback and the Ravens dialed up a few more blitzes.

In the third quarter, though, there was one debatable sequence that may have ultimately led to the late-game rush on Leftwich. Pittsburgh coordinator Todd Haley tried passing for a score on third-and-goal from the 2, rather than pounding inside against Baltimore's weakened run defense with Jonathan Dwyer. A touchdown would have given Pittsburgh a lead and changed strategy.

As it turned out, the Steelers had 39 passing plays -- and 39 chances that Leftwich could have been drilled -- and 27 rushes against Baltimore. The run-heavier ratio against Cleveland could help protect Batch, which the Steelers need in a big way.

While the team hasn't revealed a specific timetable on Roethlisberger's rehab, it's worth noting that Danny Amendola suffered a shoulder/rib injury that was described as similar to Roethlisberger's injury, and it took the Rams receiver four weeks to return. Batch can get it done. He's 5-2 as a fill-in starter for Pittsburgh, the last case being a Week 16 victory against the Rams.

Hoyer was signed this week in an emergency pinch. He spent the past three seasons as Tom Brady's backup, but was cut by the Patriots at the end of training, beaten out for the No. 2 job by Ryan Mallett.

Reality check: Jim Schwartz

So where was Titus Young on Thanksgiving? The flammable second-year receiver was nowhere near the Lions, as Schwartz took a strong disciplinary stand and refused to activate a player who has had silly penalties, sucker-punched a teammate and engaged in other apparent behavior that wasn't in the best interest of the team.

That's all good, as the Lions have tried to counter their hard-earned rep as the NFL's most undisciplined team -- on and off the field. Yet there are some levels of discipline that need to apply to the coach, too.

Remember, last year Schwartz got heated during a postgame handshake/backslap with Jim Harbaugh. Now he illegally throws a red challenge flag that might have cost the Lions a victory. No question, it was a bogus non-call when officials allowed Justin Forsett to spring to the turf and continue on for an 81-yard touchdown. And it's just plain stupid to have a rule on the books that doesn't allow officials to get a reviewable play right, due to a technicality.

But Schwartz should know better. He let emotion get the best of him by throwing the challenge flag a week after Falcons coach Mike Smith made a similar blunder of signaling for a challenge for a play that is already destined to be reviewed. The Lions have built a program on the rise, but sometimes teams reflect their coach -- which in this case is a sharp guy who needs to keep it cool amid the heat of the moment.

My road to Super Bowl XLVII goes through‚?¶ Tampa

The Bucs are surging. They have won four consecutive games under rookie coach Greg Schiano. They have a Top-10 offense now, powered by wonderful rookie running back, Doug Martin. And at 6-4, they are in the hunt for a playoff spot.

But are they really a legit playoff contender? The matchup against the Falcons (9-1) should tell us something. Like how the Bucs stack up against the NFC South leaders and a team that has had their number for a while.

Atlanta has won six of the past seven meetings in this series, including the season finale last season -- when the Falcons led 42-0 midway through the second quarter -- that was Raheem Morris' last game has coach. The Bucs have come a long way since the end of last season, but exactly how far could be revealed on Sunday.

Did you notice?

With his monster game at Dallas on Thanksgiving, Robert Griffith III notched the 23rd victory by a rookie quarterback this season, which already matches the most W's by a rookie crop in NFL history. Not that the old mark stood for long. It was achieved last season. With more that a quarter of the season to play and the rookies on pace to combine for 35 victories, the standard that will be set this season figures to stand for a while.

Stat's the fact

Bill Belichick won his 200th career game, including postseason, on Thursday night. He's the eighth coach to win 200 and the fourth-fastest -- following Don Shula, George Halas and Curly Lambeau. It took Belichick 306 games to reach the milestone. With his next win, he will match Dan Reeves' total. And it's possible that by mid-January Belichick will surpass Marty Schottenheimer (205 career wins) for sixth on the list.